The use of surgical instruments including hand tools for various orthopedic uses is well-known in the art. Surgical hand tools, such as ratcheting screwdrivers are used for a variety of reasons in surgical settings. Ratcheting screwdrivers with gear mechanisms or the like, elongated handles and internal springs are well-known in the art. Some screwdrivers of the prior art include an adjustment mechanism which allows the user to ratchet in one or both directions. Most screwdrivers of the prior art use a gear with gear teeth that engage two pawls, or actuators, that move in and out of the teeth. The pawls typically consist of only a few number of teeth, and over time, the teeth can roll over or wear away until the ratchet no longer functions properly. There is a need for a ratcheting screwdriver which is stronger and more durable than existing ratcheting screwdrivers.
The present device provides a ratcheting screwdriver with teeth that are radially located on all gears, allowing many teeth to be engaged at one time and greatly increasing the strength of the ratcheting screwdriver. The screwdriver of the present device also includes three gears. A driven gear with teeth on both sides and two drive gears on either side of the driven gear. The drive gears also include gear teeth around the outer perimeter of the gear. This structure allows many teeth to be in contact with each other at any given time which results in a stronger and more durable screwdriver. The present device also uses spherical balls to move the gears back and forth and includes a tapered surface on the sides of the drive gears to more smoothly facilitate this.
In summary, there are problems and shortcomings in ratcheting screwdrivers of the prior art for use in medical settings to which this device is directed.